Page 57 of A Bluestocking for the Wicked Duke
Joane shook her head. She would ask him where he went to. He made her come home in the rain last night though she didn’t regret it.
William brought me home.
Joane walked to her door, opening it slightly to look out. She saw her maid carrying some sheets out of the next room.
“Eunice, come here,” Joane said before going back into her room.
Eunice, her maid came into the room. She had dropped the sheets before coming in.
“Where were you last night when I came?” Joane asked her.
“I went to the kitchen ma. We had a stewards’ meeting. I did try to prepare your room for your arrival,” Eunice replied.
Joane remembered the clean clothes arranged in her wardrobe and the lamp by the door. She did prepare for Joane’s arrival.
Her lack of forgetfulness was one of the attributes that made Joane pick her in the first place. Eunice was more a favourite steward turned maid than a true maid to Joane. Her father had failed to get her a personal maid, always claiming to forget till Joane decided to get one herself. She noticed Eunice was neat, nice and hardworking so she picked her to help in domestic matters. It was a move she had never regretted.
“Prepare a warm bath for me. I want you to do that now,” Joane said.
Eunice nodded her head and walked out of her room. Joane turned and walked back to the bed. She sat in it, then lay her back down after a few seconds of sitting. Her ceiling was made of brown oak wood. It was plain and without design but Joane was always grateful for its simplicity.
At least I have something without complications in this life.
She used her eyes to follow the arrangement of the grain from one end of her room to the other. When she got halfway she heard her door open. She didn’t look there. She knew it’ll be Eunice. She heard Eunice open the door to her bathroom and heard water pour. Eunice then went back out again. Joane’s eyes went back to the ceiling but she was yet to start tracing when Eunice entered again. This time when she poured the water she came out of the bathroom and spoke.
“Your bath is ready,” Eunice said.
Joane sat up.
“Thank you, Eunice,” she replied.
Eunice curtseyed and walked out of the room. Joane stood up and walked to the doorway to her bathroom. She removed the gown she slept in. She was tempted to drop it in the dirty laundry basket lying empty by the side.
This gown gives warmth, it’s thick. What if tonight is just as cold as last night?
Joane walked to her wardrobe and hung the gown. She mentally reminded herself to tell Eunice to go air the gown whenever she went to clean the room. She walked to the bathroom and closed the door.
Joane cleaned up quickly as she didn’t want the hot water to cool. She got out of her bathroom a few minutes after getting in and walked back to her wardrobe with tower wrapped around her. She picked suitable underwear and a bright green gown with a floral design embroidered on it. It looked fitting for a bright day like this. She wore that and looked out of her window again. Now she saw Mr. Bruce standing beside the coach. He was talking to someone Joane could not see. His small hat bounced up and down as he spoke excitedly. Joane walked to her door and out of the room. She was going to meet him.
When she got to the staircase she saw him, still standing beside the coach. He was backing her and had a broom in his hand. He looked as if he was cleaning the frontal part of the carriage. He didn’t hear Joane walk up behind him. She walked behind him and spoke into his ear.
“Mr. Bruce,” she said.
He jumped in reaction to the shock of her voice directly in his ear. He turned and smiled at her.
“Good morning Miss Joane, I heard Mr. William brought you home yesterday,” he said.
Joane wondered who had told him that. She shook her head at her silliness.
Of course there is no way Emma would have been the only one that saw us last night when William brought me.
“Where did you run off to? If you had been in the compound, Mr. William wouldn’t have had to bring me home? I shared a horse with him, in the rain,” Joane said. She raised her voice when she said the last part, informing Mr. Bruce of the gravity of his actions.
Mr. Bruce used his left hand to remove his hat, a move that looked as reflex as the apologies he gave.
“I am sorry. The stable boy took the coach to the back of the building, it turns out they have a bigger lot which is used during big programmes. When I noticed the rain stirring, I went in search of the boy or our coach. I only found him after a long time. That is why you did not see me or the coach,” Mr. Bruce explained.
Joane smiled and nodded. She wasn’t angry.
